Thursday, February 24, 2022, was a historic and difficult day for Ukraine when it came under attack from Russia at around 5 a.m. local time, according to Reuters on Feb 24.
Ukraine said the attack was launched from Crimea, an area annexed by Russia. Attacks on border guard units and checkpoints also took place using artillery, military hardware, and other small arms in several regions of Ukraine, such as Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr.
Kiev said Moscow launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine and that military command centers in several cities were also hit by missiles.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a special speech broadcast on Russian state TV, said that Russia had no choice but to fortify itself against what they called the threat from modern Ukraine.
Putin stressed that Russia would respond immediately if any foreign forces tried to obstruct its actions. He also said that Moscow would seek to de-militarize and “de-Nazi-ficate” Ukraine.
Putin’s remarks came after the United States revealed that Russia had nearly 150 thousand troops stationed near Ukraine and after pro-Russian separatist groups sought military assistance from him to deal with what they described as Ukraine’s growing aggression.
Kiev denies any such aggression.
Impact of war
Entering the fifth month after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the situation in parts of Ukraine is grim, with every sphere of life of the Ukrainian people being direly impacted. Millions of Ukrainians have fled, while the war has also left countless Ukrainians injured and killed scores of them, according to Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia Vasyl Hamianin.
“Basically, we do not have a normal social life in half of Ukraine, at least half of the Ukrainian territory,” he said in a special interview with Antara on Saturday (June 25).
Economically, Russia’s attack on Ukraine has cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses, destroyed several companies in the country, as well as damaged infrastructure, such as railways, roads, and bridges.
The Russian attack has also destroyed the Ukrainian agricultural sector, with the threat of food crises looming large over several countries around the world.
As a result of the war, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in its report, Friday (June 10), projected that the global economy in 2022 will only grow three percent on an annual basis, lower than the initial estimate of 4.5 percent, or a decrease of about 1.5 percent. The decline is projected to last until 2023, with an economic growth of 2.8 percent.
Indonesia’s peace mission
With the war between Russia and Ukraine having an impact on humanity and global commodities, trade, and financial markets, Indonesia is striving to take on a role to help resolve the war and restore the world’s food supply chain through visits for peace missions to Ukraine and Russia.
President Jokowi started his mission by visiting Kiev, Ukraine. At the Maryinsky Palace, Kyiv, President Jokowi was greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the palace entrance on Wednesday afternoon at around 15:00 local time, on June 29, 2022.
After the meeting, President Zelenskyy, through a broadcast on the official YouTube account of the Presidential Secretariat, expressed gratitude for the visit of Indonesian President Jokowi to Kiev, Ukraine.
For Ukraine, that day was a historic day, as President Jokowi’s visit was the first one to be made by an Asian leader since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy praised President Jokowi’s visit, especially because Indonesia holds the G20 Presidency this year and is the strongest country in ASEAN.
He expressed optimism that the visit would strengthen the coalition to fight the war, so that world stability could recover.
President Zelenskyy noted that during the meeting, the two presidents discussed global challenges that demand the global community to do everything possible to lift Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s wheat exports to several countries in the world.
“They are blocking exports from Ukraine and disrupting global markets,” he stated.
President Zelenskyy also expressed his gratitude for Indonesia’s support for the independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Regarding the invitation to attend the G20 Summit, President Zelenskyy expressed his acceptance of the invitation but said that Ukraine’s presence would depend on the security situation in the country and also the composition of participants at the summit.
President Zelenskyy also drew attention to the visa-free agreement between the two countries and considered the agreement to be important for economic progress, development, and education as well as people-to-people relations in the two countries.
“I hope we can help with the reconstruction of Ukraine, and I invite Indonesian companies and Indonesian professionals to participate in the current projects in Ukraine. Thank you,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, on the same occasion, President Jokowi conveyed several important points from his visit to Ukraine. Jokowi said that his visit was a manifestation of Indonesia’s concern for the situation in Ukraine.
“I conveyed to President Zelenskyy that I made this visit as a manifestation of Indonesia’s concern for the situation in Ukraine,” he remarked.
President Jokowi also reiterated the invitation to President Zelenskyy to attend the G20 Summit scheduled in November this year in Bali.
The president also emphasized Indonesia’s principled position regarding the importance of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Although it is still very difficult to achieve, I still convey the importance of a peaceful settlement, and the spirit of peace must never fade,” he affirmed.
To this end, President Jokowi offered to carry a message from President Zelenskyy to President Putin. President Jokowi also expressed his empathy and concern for the impact of war on humanity. With the existing capabilities, Indonesia will strive to contribute through assistance, including medicines, and remain committed to reconstructing one of the hospitals around Kiev, according to the president.
President Jokowi also emphasized the importance of Ukraine for the world supply chains. Hence, he said all efforts should be made, so that Ukraine can resume exporting food.
“It is important for all parties to provide security guarantees for the smooth export of Ukrainian food, including through sea ports. I support the efforts of the United Nations in this regard,” the president remarked.
After visiting Kiev, Ukraine, President Jokowi also made a visit for a peace mission to Moscow, Russia.
During the visit, President Jokowi emphasized that the issue of peace and humanity has always been a priority for Indonesia’s foreign policy.
“The Indonesian Constitution mandates Indonesia to always try to contribute to the creation of world peace. In this context, I made visits to Kiev and Moscow,” he stated.
Even in the midst of a difficult situation, the president reiterated that it was important to continue to prioritize a peaceful settlement, especially through dialogue.
President Jokowi also emphasized that food and fertilizers were humanitarian issues and were of interest to the world community. Hundreds of millions of people were affected by disruptions to food and fertilizer supply chains, especially in developing countries.
Hence, President Jokowi lauded President Putin’s guarantee for the security of food and fertilizer supplies, both from Russia and Ukraine.
For the sake of humanity, President Jokowi supports the United Nations’ efforts to reintegrate food commodities in Russia and Ukraine, so that both of them can enter the world supply chain again. This is especially for the export route of Ukrainian food products by sea.
“Especially by sea, President Putin has already given guarantees,” he remarked.
President Jokowi stressed that Indonesia has no interest apart from helping resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine and restoring food, fertilizer, and energy supply chains.
“(This is) because it involves the lives of hundreds of millions of people, even billions of people. I invite all world leaders to work together to revive the spirit of multilateralism, the spirit of peace, and the spirit of cooperation. Only with this spirit can peace be achieved,” President Jokowi stated.
With President Jokowi’s visit to Ukraine and Russia for a peaceful mission, hopes are pinned high on the war ending soon and the food crisis being mitigated quickly.
Source: Antara News